Method of and apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles



Aprll 14, 1931. w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

' METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULARARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet l April 14, 1931. w. F.CLARK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILARTUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 rllllll ll n w. F.CLARK 1,800,779 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES ANDSIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES METHOD OF AND APPARATUS'FOR OPERATING UPONPIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Sept. 5. 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 4Apr 1931- w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

Aprll 14, 1931. w. F. CLARK 1,800,779

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR, TUBULARARTICLES Filed Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 W. F. CLARK AND APPARATUSFOR OPERA AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ART Filed Sept. 5, 1928 TING, UPON ICLES 9Sheets-Sheet 6 A ril 14, 1931.

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wmmmw mz g v mw . W. F. CLARK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON1 Agar-14, 1931.

PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLES .9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Sept. .5.1,928

. I I I E Gum/m1 Apnl 14,.1931. w. F..CLARK 1,800,779 METHOD OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR ARTICLESFiled-Sept. 5, 1928 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 April 14, 1931.

W. F. CLARK METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILARTUBULAR ARTICLES 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Sept. 5, 1928 Patented as. 14,1931 pair WILLIAM F. CLARK, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND METHOD or ANDAPPARATUS non OPERATING UPON PIPES AND SIMILAR TUBULAR 1 ARTICLESApplication filed September 5, 1928. Serial No. 304,152.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus primarily adapted toperform finishing operations upon metal pipe stock, but not limitedthereto, and the following description will be confined to such primaryadaptation for purposes of clarity and conciseness of explanation of theconstruction and operation of the apparatus and the steps of the method.

According to the present practice, the pieces of pipe stock are run fromthe sizing machine, while still at an intense heat, onto a cooling rack,frame or stand over which they are caused to travel with a rollingmotion, the cooling rack being of such a length that by the time thepipe stock has travelled from one end of the rack to the other it willhave become sufficiently cool and longitudinally rigid to be handled.After the pieces of pipe are discharged from the c0oling rack they aretransferred, usually by hand, to a sawing or cutting machine by whichtheir ends are sawed or cut off to make them of desired, standardlength. When the ends have thus been severed the pieces of pipe aretransferred, again usually by hand, to a reaming machine by which bothends are reamed to remove the burr produced by the sawing or cuttingoperation and to provide a smooth end finish.

It will be apparent that, when operated upon in this manner, the piecesof pipe go through a number of separate handlings requiring the time andlabor of a number of men, and floor space for a number of machines, andduring such handlings are apt to become bent or warped or otherwiseinjured and in consequence not salable.

The object of my invention is to provide a method of and means forsimplifying these finishing operations whereby time, labor and floorspace are conserved and a product of a higher standard of uniformitymade possible.

The invention consists in a method of and apparatus for operating uponpipes and similar tubular articles whereby theoperations of cutting thepieces of pipe to standard length and reaming their cut ends areautomatically performed preferably during their travel over the coolingrack, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a complete apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sec tional elevation, takensubstantially on the line 33 of Fig. l and showing the speed reducingdriving gear of the operating devices;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the pipetransferring devices;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the same;

F ig. '6 is a view similar to Fig. i: illustrating the cycle ofoperations of the transferring devices;

Fig. 7 is a further enlarged face view of one of the pipe clampingmechanisms;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the pipe clamping mechanism and associatedparts looking at the right-hand side of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a view of the opposite side of the pipe clamping mechanism;

F ig. 10 is a top plan view of the same;

11 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the clamping jaws in clampingengagement with a pipe;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation, upon an enlarged scale, of the reamingmachine;

Fig. 13 is a partial central sectional side View of same;

Fig. 14: is an end view thereof looking at the left-hand end of Fig. 12,and

Fig. 15 is a transverse section taken on line 1515 of Fig. 13, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

The cooling rack, supporting frame or stand, is composed, in theembodiment shown, of a plurality of longitudinal members 1, preferablyof channel section, arranged with their flat faces adjacent to eachother but spaced to receive plates 2, suitably supported flat-wise bythem and below the plane of their upper flanges, thus forming aplurality of uniformly spaced channeled guides in which longitudinalmembers 1 and 4E are ticularly Fig. 2).

arrow a, Fig. 2.

travel conveyorchains3, hereinafter more fully described Intermediate 7the channeled guides are otherlongitudinal members 4, the upper sur-' Atthe higher or discharge end of the cooling' rack 18 arranged atransverse shaft 8,

' driven by suitable'speed reducing gearing 7,

7 from a main-source of power, such as an electric motor 8, through ashaft 9. The

shaft 8 carries a plurality of fixedfsprockets 10, one aligned with eachchanneled guide, and a similar sprocket 11 is carrled at the lower orpick-up end 01'- each of the channeled guides.

7 The conveyorchains 3 mesh" With these sprockets 10 and 11 andareadvanced slidingly over the'plates 2 by the driving acti'on-of thesprockets 10, in the direction of 1 At" regular intervals throughouttheir length the chains 3 are provided Withconveyor lugs 12 (Figs'3, 1and 6). of such a height as to extend sufiiciently above the plane ofthe top flangesof the members 1 and 1 to engage With the pieces of piperesting upon the members 1 and 4.

At the 'discharge end of the cooling rack downwardly inclined skids 13are provided over which the pieces of pipe may be discharged into asuitable trough, bin, conveyor or the like, not shown.

The apparatus as thus far described, that is the cooling rack per se, isWell known in the art and operates substantially as .fol-

lows v I The pieces of pipe coming "from the sizing machine, at anintense heat, are fed to the cooling "rack transverselythereof, one at a'7 time, and are supported thereon at a plurality V oilongitudinalmembers 1 and 4. The lugs 12 points throughout their lengthby the of the several chains Ebeing so arranged as to align transverselyof the rack, a lug of each cha1n 'Will engage With and advance eachpiece of pipe with a rolling motion up V the incline of the topfiangesof the members 1 and a. As the pieces 01"- pipe are thus advanced inparallelism normal to, the longi-:

' tudinal members 1 and 4:,they will gradually cool, and their rolling:motion Will tend to keep'them straight,fso that when they arriveadjacent to the discharge end of the cooling rack they havecooledsufficiently and are-sufficiently rigid to permit them to bemanipulated for'finis'hing purposes; When the pieces of pipe reach thedischarge end of the cooling rack they are discharged the conveyorchains 3 down the skids-13 and the like. hereinbefore mentWenty-three orso feet of its length they have cooled sufiiciently and have becomesufficiently rigid to permit ofmanipulation for cutting to standardlength and reaming. I therefore mount Within approximately the lasttwelve feet of length of the rack the mechanisms for automaticallycutting and reaming thetwo ends of the plurality of pieces of pipe asthey are advanced in uniform order along the rack. Two sets ofsuchmechanisms A and B are employed for operating successivelyupon thetwo ends of the pieces of pipe, and inasmuch as 'these'sets are similarin all respects, a detalled descriptlonof one will suffice for both.

It Will be understood that the pieces of pipe as they come to thecoolingrack are of such a length as to extend beyond the sides of therack, and it isthese protrudingends that are cut off in reducingthe'length of the pipes to a uniform standard.

At a suitable position relatively to the travel otthe'piece's of pipe onthe cooling rack, and at a distance from the side thereof determnied bythe ultimated'esired length of pipe, I mou'nta circular saw 14 as amember of themechanism's A. This saw may be driven by a motor 15jor itmay'derive motion from any other suitable source or" a line shaft andpulleys and belt. As a piece of pipe is advancedby the fiat faces-12 ofthelugs 12 it is forced against-the savv which cuts ofl' itsprotrudingend;

The next operation 18 the reaming of the cut end of the pipe, and forthis step the pipe must be released from theinfiuence of the conveyorchains 3' andsupported; and held stationary While a reaming toolisjforced against it, and itmust'thereafter be replaced in thepathofmovement'of the conveyor chains so that it'may have its oppositeend similarly operated upon and be subsequently discharged from thecooling rack. I

V Obviously, the operations of removing the pipe from the conveyorchains, supporting and clamping and thenreaming it, and returning it tothe conveyor chains must be performed in timed relation to the travel ofthe chains, and this I have accomplished by means of the devices next tobe'descr'ibedj At appropriatepoints transversely of the cooling rack Imount a number (three being shown) 7' and the shanks 17 rare alsothreaded as at power, such as offorked rests 16 (Figs. 1, 3,4, 5 and 8)having shanks 17 splined as shown y 20 for the reception of adjustingnuts 21 whereby the height of the rests may be dctermined. Obviously,this height must be such that when a pipe is supported by the rests thelugs 12 of the carrier chains 3 may pass beneath it without touching it.

For the purpose of successivel raising and removing a pipe from theconveyor chains 3, placing it upon the rests 16 and then removing itfrom the rests, after its end has been reamed, and replacing it in theconveyor chains, I provide a plurality of transfer devices preferablyequal in number to and arranged adjacent to the rests. Each of thesetransfer devices comprises a pair of cooperatingcarrier members 22 and23 having forked extensions 24 adapted to travel into and out of thepath of travel of the pipes in the conveyor chains 3. The extensions 24merge into eccentric straps 25 and terminate in slotted guide members26which ride upon and are guided by lugs 27 fixedly supported by suitablestands 28. The eccentric straps 25 embrace complemental eccentrics 29carried by and rotatable with a shaft 30 driven by suitable reducinggearing 31, 32, 33 (Fig. 3) from the main drive shaft 9. By aninspection of Fig. 6, it will be seen that as the eccentrics 29 rotatewith shaft 30 they will cause a pipe carried by the conveyor chains 3 tobe picked up at the position of carrier members 22 indicated in dottedlines at 2266, moved through the upper portion of the orbit 22b anddeposited in the rests 16, as shown, the carriers thereafter completingthe traversing of their orbits to their initial pick-up positions 220 bythe time another set of lugs 12 has advanced another pipe to thisposition. The carrier members 23 have meanwhile traversed their orbits23?), and at the proper time pick up the pipe from the rests 16, move itthrough the upper part of the orbit 23b and deposit it in the conveyorchains at approximately the position indicated in dotted lines at 23a.

It will be understood that in theinterval between the time when the pipeis deposited in the rests by the members 22 and the time when it isremoved from the rests by the members 23, it is clamped and reamed. Itwill be understood also that during this interval the conveyor chainshave moved forward a distance not quite equal to the space between twoadjacent lugs 12.

The pipes must be clamped while being reamed to prevent their turningwith the rapidly revolving reaming tool and to prevent them from backingaway from the reaming tool as it is advanced during the reamingoperation. To accomplish this clamping I provide a clamping device foreach of the sets of mechanism A and B. These clamping devices (see Figs.3, 7', 8, 9, 10 and 11) have a pair of jaw members 34 and 35 adjustablymounted by screw adj usting devices 36 in levers 37 and 38,respectively. These levers are pivotally mounted upon pins 39 and 40,respectively, carried by the stands 28 and are provided with extensions41 and 42, respectively, carrying rollers which cooperate with camsurfaces on a cam mounted on and rotating with the shaft 30.

The extension 42 has a single centrally mounted roller 44 (see Fig. 8)and the extension 41 carries two spaced rollers 43 (see Fig. 9). The cam47 has three cam surfaces, two of which, 45, are similar and arrangedadjacent to its faces and act upon the two rollers 43, and the other ofwhich, 46, is arranged between the two designated and acts upon theroller 44. The rollers 43 and 44 are held in operative engagement withtheir cooperating cam surfaces by means of a spring 48.

The extension 42 is pivoted to the lever 38 at 49 and a heavy spring 50is interposed between these parts, expansion of the spring being limitedby means of cooperating stops 51 and 52 carried by the extension 42 andlever 38, respectively. The compression of the spring, and hence itsstiffness, may be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 53 providedwith a jamb nut 54. By this arrangement, it will be seen that when theaws are forced toward each other under the in fluenee of cam 47 to clampa pipe, as shown in Fig. 11, the g "ipping action will be resilient,though adequate for its purpose, thus removing strain from the operatingparts of the clamping device.

The reaming mechanism comprises a reaming tool 55 carried by a mandrel56 mounted in slide bearings 57 (see Fig. 13) in a sleeve or spindle 58which is rotatably carried in bearings 59 in stands 60. Rotation isimparted to the mandrel 56 by means of a toothed clutch member 61 whichslidably engages its complement in the hub of a gear 62 driven by apinion 63 on the shaft 64 of a motor 65 or other power imparting means.Rotation of the mandrel 56 is imparted to sleeve 58 by means of a pin 66which passes through the mandrel and through slots 67 in the sleeve andterminates in a collar 68 provided with a circumferential rib 69. Thisrib 69 engages a complemental groove 70 in a split housing 71 providedwith trunnions 72 (Figs 12 and 15) which are engaged by a shifter yoke 73 formed on the end of a bellcrank lever 74 pivoted at 7 5 (Figs. 12 and13.)

By this arrangement it will be seen that the mandrel 56, sleeve 58,collar 68 and gear 62 rotate as a unit, the rotary motion of mandrel 56being transmitted to the parts 58 and 68 by means of the pin 66. Slidingmovement of the mandrel 56 within the sleeve 58 is caused by shifting ofthe housing 71, the motion of same being transmitted to the man "lrel bymeans ot the groove 70, rib 69' andpin 66, which latter, though it'mustturn with the mandrel, may slide in the slots 67.

stiff spring 78. The roller 77 is held in engagement with the cam 76 bymeans of an adjustable tension spring 7 9 connected with t-lleBIlCl 80of the lever 74' and with one of the stands 60.- v

Thus it will beapparent that upon rotation of shaft in timed relationtothe travel of 7 The outward thrust or travel of the man-' the conveyorchains 3 and the operation of v the transfer and clamping mechanisms,the cam 7 6 will so operate as to pro ect the retating mandrel 56 at thetime when apipe 1s held in the clamping mechanism upon the rests 16 andwill thus force the'reaming tool into cutting engagement with'the end ofthe pipe, as shown in Fig. 13.

drel 56 may be regulated by means of a plurality oi'adjusting screws 81carried by the hub 820i the cam 76 and'bearing against a rotatingabutment 83 clamped-on the shaft The operation ofthe device may be.apparent from the foregoing description, but in the interest ofclearness it may be tur- .ther explained .as follows or discharge endof'the cooling rack, it will .be seen that as the pieces of pipeadvance.

Assumin that the conveyor chains 3, saws 14 transfer devices 22, 23,ClflD'lPlllgJTlGChfi- .nisms 34,85 and reaming tools 55, and

their associated parts are all in operation,

the pieces of pipe coming from the pipebers 1 and 4 toward the dischargeend of the cooling rack. .7 V

Lookingnow at Fig. .1 from thelett-hand toward the reader they willfirst be engaged by the saw at the left which will cut oii their} lprotruding left-hand i ends, then they will.

be picked, one-bybne, from the conveyor chains by the. transfer.devices'ot the set of mechanisms A and deposited in the rests 16 wherethey are immediately clamped by the clamping mechanism and reamed by thereaming tool. Immediately upon complet1on of the reaming operation theyare picked out of the rests 16 by thev transfer mechanisms and replacedin the conveyor chains.

NeXt, their right-hand endsare presented to the saw 14 at the right andcut ofi. Then they are picked, one-by-one, from the conveyor chains bythe transfer devices of the set of mechanisms Band deposited in therest-s16 of that set where they are immedi ately clamped and reamed.-After' being reamed they are again placed in the conveyor chains andcarried thereby to the discharge end of the cooling rack from which thebin or the like provided for them;

It will be seen that by-my invention I have provided a method and meansfor operating upon pipes or similar tubular articles preferably whiletheyare in the process of cooling, without the necessity for the severalhandlings now common and without transporting them to and-from severalmachines. Moreover, I have so combined the mechanisms for performing therequired finishing operations upon such articles as to materiallyeconomize floor space, mic and labor, and to perform these operationsautomatically and rapidly. Furthermore, due to the fact that handmanipulation oi the pipes or the like is avoided until after they havebecome cold and rigid, loss due to bending and warping is eliminated,and the-finishsimilar tubular articles having finished ends, whichcomprises moving sald articles over a support, cutting off the ends ofsaid artiroll down the skids 18 into the trough,

cles and reaming the cut ends at intervals in timed relation to themovement of the articles. j 1

2 The method of producing pipes and similar tubular articles havingfinished ends,

which comprises moving said-articles over a support whereon they arepermitted to cool, cutting off the endsof said articles, and roaming thecut ends at intervals in timed rela'tion to the movement of thearticles, the

cutting and reaming operatlons being performed while the articles arecooling.

3. A method of operating upon pipes and similar tubular" articles, whichcomprises moving said articles over a rack at;a predetermined speed,cutting off the ends of said articles during their movement, arrestingthe movement of said-articles in successionffo'ra predetermined lperiodof time, reaming the out ends thereof during such period, and thereafterre-estab lishing the articles in movement over the rack-and. dischargingthem therefrom, the period of arrested movementbeingtimed in relation tothe speed of movement of the articles over the rack, V

v 4t, Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles,includinga rack, means for causing said articles to travel menttransversely thereof, means for severing the ends of said articles insuccession during their travel, means for arrestin the movement of saidarticles, means for finishing the severed ends of the articles whiletheir movement is arrested, and means for re-establishing said articlesin their travel along the rack after the completion of the finishingoperation, the period of arrested movement and the finishing operationperformed therein being timed in relation to the movement of thetravel-causing means.

5. r-ipparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articlesincluding a supporting frame upon which the articles travel, means forsevering the ends of said articles in succession during their travel,means for arresting the movement of said articles, means for finishingthe severed ends of the articles while their movement is arrested, andmeans for re-establishing said articles in their travel along thesupporting frame after the completion of the finishing operation.

6. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles,including a rack, a conveyor arranged to travel longitudinally of saidrack, means on said conveyor for imparting movement to a tubular articlearranged transversely of said rack, a cutting device for severing theend of said article during its travel, a rest arranged transversely ofsaid rack, means for transferring said article from saidmovement-imparting means to said rest, means for holding said article infined relation to said rest, means for finishing the severe-d end of thearticle while it is thus held, and means for transferring the articlefrom the rest into engagement with' the movementimparting means; theoperations of transferring to said rest, holding and finishing andtransferring from the rest back to tl e movement-imparting means beingtimed in relation to the travel of the conveyor.

7. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles,including a rack, a travelling conveyor provided with lugs adapted tocause a pipe arranged transversely of the racl: to travel lon itudinallythereof, a cutter arranged adjacent to the side of the rack and adaptedto sever the protruding end of the pipe during its travel, a restarranged transversely of the rack, a transfer device adapted to removesaid pipe from the influence of said lugs and place it upon said rest, aclamping mechanism adapted to clamp said pipe in fixed relation to saidrest, a reaming tool, means for operating said tool to ream the severedend of the pipe While clamped, a transfer device for removing said pipefrom said rest after the completion of the reaming operation, and meansfor imparting functioning power to said conveyor, transfer devices,clamping mechanism and reaming mechanism in timed relation to eachother.

8. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles,including a rack, a travelling conveyor associated with said rack andprovided with lugs adapted to cause a pipe arranged transversely of therack to travel longitudinally thereof, a cutter arranged adjacent to oneside of said rack and adapted to sever the protruding end of said pipeduring its travel, means providing a rest arranged transversely of therack, a transfer device adapted to remove said pipe from the influenceof said lugs and place it upon said rest, a clamping mechanism forholding said pipe in fixed relation to said rest, a reaming tool, meansfor operating said tool to ream the severed end of the pipe whileclamped, a transfer device for removing said pipe from said rest aftercompletion of the reaming operation and after release of said clampingmechanism, a cutter, transfer devices, clamping mechanism and reamingmechanism arranged adjacent to the other side of said rack and adaptedto operate upon the other end of the pipe in a manner similar butsubsequent to the corresponding devices before mentioned, and means forimparting functioning power to said conveyor, transfer devices, clampingmechanisms and reaming mechanisms in timed relation to each other.

9. Apparatus for operating upon pipes and similar tubular articles,including a rack, a travelling conveyor associated with said rack andprovided with lugs adapted to cause a pipe arranged transversely of therack to travel longitudinally thereof, a reaming tool and mechanism foractuating same arranged in such position relatively to the rack as tooperate upon the end ofthe pipe carried thereby, means providing a restarranged transversely of said rack and in alignment with the axis ofsaid reaming tool, transfer mechanism including a plurality of transferdevices adapted to engage the pipe at a number of points throughout itslength and transfer it from the conveyor to the rest for reaming of itsend and thereafter back to the conveyor, means for fixedly clamping thepipe during the reaming operation, and means including a source of powerfor imparting functioning movement to said conveyor, transfer mechanism,clamping means and reaming mechanism in timed relation to each other.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

"WILLIAM F. CLARK.

